Thank you very much for the elaborate advice! This line has poisoned me... I have always fancied having link aggregation in my network. As for mobo size, it won't be a problem since I'm planning to use the Q08/Q25.

RB bro, where do you usually get your intel boards from?

Originally Posted by RimBlock

Beware that a lot of cheap one box NAS solutions use the CPU for decoding video and handling network communications. My own DLink DNS-323 was great until it can to streaming Blurays over my lan. A number of medial players can also suffer from this. These units are cheap for a reason.

RB

That's true. I was also considering the HP microserver as an alternative to DIY.

Local distributors. Depends on which offers the best price at the time. As I am a Intel Gold Technology Partner I can also RMA for my customers and provide a replacement before your unit is tested as long as I have reasonable belief the problem is genuine (i.e. you tell me the fault, I get a replacement from Intel, you bring the part in, I replace on the spot). Certainly beats having to wait for a month to get something exchanged or repaired like I had to with my ASRock motherboard recently, although to be fair they did have to send it to Taiwan for repair and did it for free.

Originally Posted by Lippyt

That's true. I was also considering the HP microserver as an alternative to DIY.

That unit is very nice but not being sold by HP in Singapore (Stupid discussion on their part IMO) and so carry that same warranty risks as any 'grey import' stuff. You can get them on Amazon for US$279 but after exchange, shipping, memory upgrades etc your close to the S$450 mark. Not much more to get a far superior unit that would be locally supported and have better upgrade options.

RB

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Local distributors. Depends on which offers the best price at the time. As I am a Intel Gold Technology Partner I can also RMA for my customers and provide a replacement before your unit is tested as long as I have reasonable belief the problem is genuine (i.e. you tell me the fault, I get a replacement from Intel, you bring the part in, I replace on the spot). Certainly beats having to wait for a month to get something exchanged or repaired like I had to with my ASRock motherboard recently, although to be fair they did have to send it to Taiwan for repair and did it for free.

That unit is very nice but not being sold by HP in Singapore (Stupid discussion on their part IMO) and so carry that same warranty risks as any 'grey import' stuff. You can get them on Amazon for US$279 but after exchange, shipping, memory upgrades etc your close to the S$450 mark. Not much more to get a far superior unit that would be locally supported and have better upgrade options.

RB

Okay! I will approach you if I decide to go the intel server board route! Many exciting choices

For nvidia, I have used them since the riva tnt era and am familiarized with the linux drivers... [ troubleshooting parameters with xorg.conf , mplayer settings, vdpau ].

Actually, if u are to look at all mainboards, there are no upgrade paths [ from a certain perspective ]. My last zotac itx, the 9300 itx/wifi... no longer upgradable in terms of cpu, coz the new cpus require different cpu slots already..

And even if i were to get the i3/i5/i7 cpu compatible itx mb... 2 years down the road, they will suffer the same technology limitation coz another new cpu slot has appeared.. and even with the fastest i7 processor then, it will lose out the new entry level cpu with new slot and updated technology..

And since my pc is hardly turned on nowadays, I rather spend on a budget power saving atom cpu with gfx that able to handle my requirements [ hdmi/1080/linux/ fit in slim itx case ], I will be happy liao...

Gaming needs are satisfied via the xbox360 so no need too fast on pc...

Originally Posted by RimBlock

Depends on your priority.

If I can get a G620 plus H67 board and 4GB ram for the same price then that is the route I would personally take. The G620 uses the HD2000 video chipset, the same as the i3/i5/i7 and those processors have no issues with Linux, windows or Bluray playback.

For another S$40 over the Zotac D2700 board you could get a H67 board, G620 and a separate GT520 card. You could upgrade the graphics card and the processor later if you want to which you cannot witht he D2700 board. Atom boards are great if they are cheap as they have no upgrade path. When they are expensive then I would think twice as they have no upgrade path and the next tier up may well get round that problem as in this case.

Actually, if u are to look at all mainboards, there are no upgrade paths [ from a certain perspective ]. My last zotac itx, the 9300 itx/wifi... no longer upgradable in terms of cpu, coz the new cpus require different cpu slots already..

And even if i were to get the i3/i5/i7 cpu compatible itx mb... 2 years down the road, they will suffer the same technology limitation coz another new cpu slot has appeared.. and even with the fastest i7 processor then, it will lose out the new entry level cpu with new slot and updated technology..

Err, yeah I guess so if you look from that, rather strange perspective. Rather like saying no cars are upgradable as 20 years down the line they will probably be using different fuels or engine parts.

Looking at the second hand market, people are regularly selling LGA775 CPUs here which are 2 (soon to be 3) generations old. Upgradable does not mean being able to buy new processors that will beat anything else for ever, it means being able to improve on what you currently have. The Intel distributors also still list LGA775 CPUs new for sale. Just because you do not see them in the shops, does not mean they are not available if you know where to get them or who to ask.

Originally Posted by farbird

And since my pc is hardly turned on nowadays, I rather spend on a budget power saving atom cpu with gfx that able to handle my requirements [ hdmi/1080/linux/ fit in slim itx case ], I will be happy liao...

Gaming needs are satisfied via the xbox360 so no need too fast on pc...

Intel DN2800MT thin mITX. The GMA 3650 is rated for 1080p Bluray 2.0, includes HDMI, thin board enabling a super small case, DC power in so no PSU (or PicoPSU) required in the case.

Jetway, another brand DD distributes along with Zotac, also has a number of D2700 boards that list HD 1080p Bluray 2.0 supported with HDMI. Surprised they have not been mentioned as a cheaper alternative for you.

Based on the details above, the only thing missing is the Nvidia chipset but still these boards cope with your listed requirements for a much cheaper cost and lower power consumption. If you must have a Nvidia chipset, which seems the case even though it is not required for 1080p playback, and don't want any add on cards then you are very limited and so you pay a heavy price. If you want HD video, low power, small case then there are much cheaper alternatives.

Wouldn't want people incorrectly thinking they have to pay for a top of the range premium product just to play HD video on one of the new Atom boards.

RB

.Hot DealsDell C6100 X23-TY3 cloud/VM cluster: 4 dual cpu servers in a box starting at only $1,600 with 6 months warranty.9u 1000mm server racks: Same height as a coffee table and able to support most servers. Perfect for a home lab.HP Network switches: Everything from entry level to enterprise level, we have the full range covered. Consumer models starting from $50.

Co-organiser and proud to support the Singapore Hadoop user group.
Check out the Hadoop Singapore user group here.

PM me, SMS/Whatsapp to 9362 0877 or Skype (RimBlock) for a quote or chat on IT problems and solutions.

But I think i'll wait till the next chipset revision which is due in a couple of months after Ivy to have ALL SATA III support. Then it'll be more practical to have 6 x SATA III ports then the same 4 SATA II by 2 SATA III setup like the old Zotac H67.